Lesley McGuire selected as one of Canada’s 10 Best of the Best CanSkate Coaches

Lesley McGuire was selected by Skate Canada[1] to participate in Canada’s 10 Best of the Best CanSkate Coaches Program. Lesley is a teacher at Quinte Secondary School and a member of the Stirling Figure Skating Club[2].

“I was very excited to be selected by Skate Canada for this opportunity. It was a lot of work to put together a submission outlining my accomplishments, personal philosophy and the programs. I had to include a DVD in the final top 20 round. It is not easy to be recognized so it was a huge accomplishment for me and one of the best experiences of my life,” remarked Lesley.

CanSkate is Skate Canada’s only national learn-to-skate program. This program recognizes, rewards and trains CanSkate coaches who have demonstrated their ability to organize and implement a high-quality CanSkate program.

Lesley was among nine other coaches selected to attend and receive instruction in fundamental areas of the CanSkate program. Lesley received her award at the 2010 Annual Convention & General Meeting and National Coaches Conference, May 26 to 28, 2010 in Toronto.

“It was great to hobb-knob with the elite coaches and athletes of the sport. I was able to meet Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir the Olympic Gold Ice Dance medalists from the 2010 Vancouver Games. I was even personally congratulated by Manon Perron, the coach of Olympic Bronze Medalist Joannie Rochette,” said Lesley.

The Stirling Figure Skating Club nominated Lesley for this prestigious award because of her long-time dedication to coaching, and for her development of a new program.

Lesley has been teaching for 15 years and is successfully involved in various aspects of coaching from CanSkate to Competitive Skate. She was the creator of the Quinte Secondary School Skate and Dance Program. Among her many accomplishments she was a team coach for the 2006 Olympic Winter Games.

“I think that to truly realize one’s fullest potential you have to be a lifelong learner. Most importantly you need to take the time to reflect and this is when you learn the most about yourself,” said Lesley.

Lesley says that teaching has taught her to "think outside the box," coaching has taught her to “have a good bag of tricks" and surviving cancer has taught her to "never give up."

Lesley loves to coach, loves the kids, and loves the cold. Lesley is devoted to developing athletes. She has a reputation in the skating community for developing quality athletes and has even taken a young skater that she found on a public skating session at an elementary school from CanSkate to Junior Nationals.

“Whether it is a waltz jump or a double axel, the excitement I get to see for the first time when the skater accomplishes something it is a very rewarding experience,” said Lesley.

"I try to bring this side of my teaching style into the classroom. I take the time to get to know my learners and make a connection with them. Then I push them with lots of encouragement to set higher standards for themselves, while getting them to think it was their idea! I really like this style of teaching it has worked for me time and time again,” remarked Lesley.

Lesley’s future goals are to continue to pursue her passion for skating where ever it takes her, enjoy her family, and bring skating into the classroom.